The Blazers? The idea of Portland making a run at Paul caused a ripple here in sports talk radio, blogs and message boards. Jason Quick, on Canzano's radio show, said Blazers GM Kevin Pritchard is working on something big that potentially could save his job, although he did not specify the teams or players, other than to say key parts could be the expiring contracts of Joel Przybilla and Andre Miller.

Would they be attractive to the Hornets? A factor could be the team's unsettled ownership situation as the sale of the team by George Shinn to Gary Chouest still is pending, making money an X-factor. The Hornets have an outstanding backup point guard in Darren Collison, whose salary is less than a tenth Paul's.

Portland did make a deal Monday, moving up from No. 44 to No. 34 in the second round. The Blazers threw in cash to entice Golden State -- another team about to be sold -- to make the deal. The seemingly minor trade, portrayed as simply 34 being better than 44, shows that owner Paul Allen is willing to spend money at a time when so many teams are trying to save it -- a powerful trump card in potential trades.

Newly hired New Orleans coach Monty Williams, in a Times-Picayune story on him potentially hiring Mike Malone as an assistant coach, made it clear he expected to have Paul on his roster. Williams, the former Blazers assistant, said on his thinking in considering prospective assistants: "It's like, how can I help Chris get more efficient in the
pick-and-roll? Maybe the assistants know more; maybe a guy comes from a
pick-and-roll offense that runs differently than we did in San Antonio
and Portland."

2. Another GM on job hunt: Pritchard's tenuous job security has apparently been construed by at least one other league executive as a potential job opening. Mark Warkentien, Denver's executive vice president of basketball operations, has asked the Nuggets for permission to speak to other teams about front-office positions, including the Blazers, the Denver Post's Benjamin Hochman reports.

Warkentien's Nuggets contract expires at the end of the summer. He also hopes to speak to the Suns and Clippers, Hochman reports.

Warkentien was voted the NBA Executive of the Year in 2008-09 after he
engineered a trade that sent Allen Iverson to Detroit for Chauncey
Billups. He worked for the Blazers for 10 years in several jobs, including director of scouting, assistant general manager and director of player personnel. Hochman writes that Warkentien still has a home in Portland.

Associated PressDeMarcus Cousins at a draft combine in Chicago.

3. This year's big draft question: In an earlier era, you wonder if the no-brainer No. 1 pick in Thursday's draft wouldn't have been Kentucky center DeMarcus Cousins and not his teammate, point guard John Wall, who is considered a lock top pick by the Washington Wizards.

Physically, the 6-11 Cousins is phenom. According to Draftexpress.com, his draft combine measurements -- including a 7-5 wingspan -- were better than those of Dwight Howard or Greg Oden. Back when centers were automatically chosen ahead of other positions (see Brown, Kwame), Cousins surely would have gone No. 1.

But NBAdraft.net projects Cousins going No. 7 to Detroit, and even at that pick, he's not a no-brainer. The Detroit News' Ted Kulfan writes that there is concern about Cousins' maturity. ESPN's Jay Bilas gives a damning quote, saying, "He needs a baby-sitter. If you're willing to do that, fine. He could be terrific."

On Monday, Cousins worked out for New Jersey and impressed Nets officials, who nevertheless were unsure if he could play in tandem with center Brook Lopez -- himself a No. 10 pick in 2008.

The reason, the Cleveland Plain Dealers' Brian Windhorst reports, is that the salary cap for next season will drop, so maximum contracts, which are tied to the cap, will be worth far less.

For example, James has an option for $17.1 million for 2010-11. If he accepts it and adds another four years with the Cavs by the June 30 deadline, the total deal would be worth $103.5 million because it would be based on the current cap. But if opts out and signs with another team for five years, the new deal, based on the new cap, would be worth $95.5 million.5. Drinking in the championship: Monday was parade day in Los Angeles as the Lakers celebrated their NBA title, and no one enjoyed it more than first-time champion Ron Artest. Artest was, of course, once one of the NBA's pariahs after his 73-game suspension for the brawl at the Palace of Auburn Hills in 2004.

Artest resurrected his career first in Sacramento, then Houston, both times helped greatly by playing for Rick Adelman. He landed in L.A. this season, and although there were plenty of head-scratching offensive plays, he also remained a defensive force. And Monday, he really enjoyed himself. Writes the Orange County Register's Kevin Dang:

Artest said he had a few drinks – including the Hennessy scotch he
previously admitted consuming before games early in his NBA career –
before the 11 a.m. championship parade Monday to make sure he was
really floating.

Then Artest donned that feather-laden top hat made for him by
7-year-old daughter Diamond, with her message scrawled faintly on the
black hat: "I love you Dad #37." Artest was briefly handed the
public-address microphone atop the flatbed truck the players rode on
and started his own chant: "Boston (stinks)!" And after it was over, he
gushed about how the energy during the parade was "more than I
expected" – albeit imperfect in just one sense: "I wish I could've
touched the fans. ... I wish I could've jumped into the crowd."